


Closer than you think

by eevee44



Category: Transformers: Robots in Disguise (2015)
Genre: Actual acknowledgement of Sunstreaker's existence, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Found Family, Gen, Just some wholesome friendship here folks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-30
Updated: 2019-03-30
Packaged: 2019-12-26 05:57:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,303
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18277172
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eevee44/pseuds/eevee44
Summary: Strongarm has been avoiding Sideswipe, and he's getting kind of worried (not that he'd admit it, of course)





	Closer than you think

**Author's Note:**

> There's only one other Sideswipe & Strongarm fic out there, and that's a goddamn crime, so I'm taking the law into my own hands

With a combined attack from Sideswipe and Strongarm, the Decepticon falls to the ground with a heavy thud, knocked unconscious.

“Alright, another ‘Con down!” Sideswipe cheers, doing a little fist pump. “Hey Strongarm, I think we’re getting the hang of that pincer manoeuvre thingy. We make a pretty good team if I do say so myself,” he boasts.

Strongarm felt her spark glow with pride. They did make a remarkable team, once they’d gotten past all the bickering and rivalry. Sideswipe was a capable fighter and partner, and an even greater friend.

Sideswipe turns away to handcuff the defeated Decepticon, and Grimlock bumps Strongarm in the side. “Yeah, a ‘great team’ huh?” He says, waggling his eyebrows. She recoils back.

“Ew, Grimlock, it’s not like that. Sideswipe’s like my bro-…” Strongarm cuts herself off mid-sentence, her train of thought slamming the brakes and derailing off the side of a mental cliff – _Oh Primus, I think of Sideswipe as a brother_ , the realisation quickly followed by _Oh Primus, I ABSOLUTELY cannot let anyone know I think of Sideswipe as a brother._

She bites her glossa and stumbles out an excuse, trying to pass off her newfound realisation like nothing happened. “Uhh, um, uhhhh…” She fails miserably.

Sideswipe looks over at her, Grimlock continuing to smugly watch. “Hey, Strongarm, you okay?”

She snaps up, panicked. _Quick, be cool._ “Um, I’ll, Bumblebee, bye.” _NOT COOL._

Having spectacularly botched that one up and quickly running out of options, she follows her gut instincts – and transforms and drives away.

Sideswipe turns to Grimlock, utter confusion on his face. Grimlock just shrugs, “Wasn’t me.”

\------------

“Hey, Sides, you seen Strongarm around? I want to talk to her about some recent ‘Con reports.”

Sideswipe sheathes his sword from where he was training on some of Denny’s ‘wares’, and turns face at Bumblebee. “Sorry boss, I was gonna ask you the same thing. I swear she’s been ghosting me all day, but I don’t know why.”

Bumblebee glances up from his data-pad and gives Sideswipe an exasperated look. “What did you do this time.”

“Nothing, I swear!” Sideswipe says defensively, putting up his hands. “It’s like we were catching ‘Cons one minute, and the next she freaks out and runs away. And when me and Grim got back to base, I went to say hey and she looked freaked again and said she was going on patrol and just left.”

“Hmm, that’s strange. Just make sure you two sort out whatever’s going on soon okay? I need our best duo working together as a team.” Bumblebee says, and looks back down at his data-pad and walks away.

\------------

Sideswipe’s lounging on top of one of the garbage piles near the base entrance, keeping an eye out on the forest that surrounds the base, when – _aha!_ – he spots a familiar blue and white police car pull out of the trees, transform and walk back into base. He jumps off the garbage pile (nearly slipping on some loose garbage but that’s cool, he still nails the landing) and lands near her.

She startles at his sudden appearance, then sheepishly greets her assailant. “Hey, Sideswipe.”

“Hey yourself. What’s up with you? You’ve even got Bee worried.” When she doesn’t respond, Sideswipe steps forward, hands up in a ‘guilty as charged’ motion. “Look, if this is about me using Denny’s beavers as target practice yesterday, I’m sorry okay?!”

“What – no, that’s not… Look, I just have something I need to tell you.” She glances around. “Can we talk? Somewhere private?”

Sideswipe wants to grill her more, but he knows her well enough to see past her cool façade. She’s digging her pedes into the ground slightly and fiddling with her Decepticon hunter in her servos; he can tell she’s nervous about something, this is serious. So instead he gestures for her to follow him. He walks out of the base and into the forest, taking lead while she follows behind. Eventually, they make it to a small clearing inside the forest, a patch of grass and flowers surrounded by trees where the sun shines through.

“Hey, what is this place?”

“Oh y’know, I found it back when we first came to Earth. It’s one of my favourite spots to-,” he nearly says ‘avoid doing chores’, but quickly switches tracks, “-relax. So, what’s up?”

She tenses up again, then sighs. “You know how this morning, after we took down that Decepticon?”

“Yeah, I remember you freaking out and running away.” He jokes, but it only seems to make her more tense, so he cuts the funny act and puts back on his Serious Sideswipe face.

“Grimlock made a joke about us… ‘Being together’.” She air quotes the last two words.

“Grimlock said something stupid, so what? Wait, has he been bothering you? Do you want me to go beat him up for you?”

He finally gets her to crack a smile ( _yes!_ ) and she shakes her head, “No no, it’s not… It’s just, when he said that, it really bothered me, and I think I figured out why and…”

She steadfastly stares at her pedes, like she can’t bring herself to look him in the optics. She’s fiddling with her servos again, and Sideswipe can’t stand to see her so torn up about… whatever it is. He places a servo on top of hers in what he hopes is a comforting gesture and gently inquires, “And?”

She balls her servos into fists and looks him directly in the optics. “It’s because I think of you like a brother,” she blurts out all at once. She slumps forward slightly, like the physical weight of carrying it in her chest has been lifted - but now the floodgates are open and the words keep spilling out. “But I know that’s _weird_ and you probably hate me now and-”

He cuts her off, clapping a servo to her shoulder. “Oh thank Primus, I thought you were trying to say you were in love with me or something. Seriously Strongarm, don’t scare me like that.”

She looks up at him, braced for rejection. “You don’t think it’s _weird_??”

Sideswipe shakes his head slightly, as if amused by her confusion, and motions for her to sit down on the grass. She somewhat hesitantly complies, feeling the dewy grass getting between her armour. She digs her servos into the cool earth as she settles down. They sit in silence for a minute before Sideswipe finally speaks.

“You know, I have a brother, back on Cybertron.” Sideswipe says, wistfully gazing towards the sky, towards where Cybertron would be.

Cold dread lances through her systems. _Oh Pit oh Pit I’m such an idiot, you seriously thought you were like a SISTER to him, he has a BROTHER you idio-_

Sideswipe turns to her and smiles, “… But I never had a sister before I came to Earth.”

Realisation spreads throughout her, cold tension melting away into something warm and comforting, and she gives him a small, relieved smile.

“Of course I think of you as a sister too, dummy. It seriously took you this long to figure it out? And all this time I thought you were the smart one of us two.”

Strongarm playfully punches him in the arm. Sideswipe retaliates with a headlock, and it quickly devolves into a full-blown play-scuffle.

 

Bumblebee is out walking the perimeter to see if Strongarm had come back from patrol yet when he hears… laughter? He follows the noise to the little field where Sideswipe normally goes to avoid doing chores, and sees Sideswipe and Strongarm rolling around on the ground in what he would normally mistake as fighting if it weren’t for the loud shrieks of laughter coming from the two of them. He leans back against a tree, smiling and watching them.

_Family’s always closer than you think._

**Author's Note:**

> Strongarm and Sideswipe... found family. Thank you for coming to my TED Talk  
> 


End file.
